The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Friends Action Network is a grassroots network of faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members committed to building public support for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system's annual legislative requests.

Minnesota State Legislature - What"s New

The Chronicle (February 2009): An internal newsletter for the Office of the Chancellor

Friday, February 11, 2011

Yesterday at the CapitolThe Senate passed the budget reduction conference committee report yesterday by a vote of 37-28, but shortly thereafter, the bill became Gov. Dayton's first veto. In his veto message, Dayton cited a Revenue Department estimate that the bill would increase property taxes by $428 million in the next biennium. He also said legislators were wrong to make him allocate the $100 million in cuts rather than doing it themselves. Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, said she had hoped the lawmakers and the governor would keep their eye on the goal, to reduce some of the deficit before the February Forecast comes out.

The forecast is expected to come out the week of Feb. 28, which gives legislators a little more than three weeks until the first committee deadline. The House approved a resolution on the floor yesterday setting the deadlines, and this year, the deadlines are different. The first deadline, March 25, is when all finance bills must be out of committee and sent to the Ways and Means committee. The second and third deadlines are for the policy bills. The second deadline, April 29, is when policy bills are to be out of the committee of origin and the third deadline, May 6, is when policy bills must pass out of both bodies. House Republican leaders said they want the deadlines to reflect the commitment to getting the state’s budget shortfall resolved before policy issues are addressed.

Students and faculty testify before House committeeEvery college or university student has a story to tell about how they ended up at the college or university they're at, and what their education means to them as they work their way toward graduation, with the ultimate goal of joining the workforce. Whether it's Maureen Wanous, a student at South Central College in Faribault, who went back to school to make a better life for herself and her daughter, or Samantha Potter-Rank, a PSEO student at Inver Hills Community College who will graduate from high school with a two-year college degree to help her family save on tuition, every student has a story.

Every faculty member that teaches and mentors these students also has a story, such as Ken Ryan, director of the Mechatronics program at Alexandria Technical and Community College, who can look a parent in the eye and tell him/her their child will find employment in the Mechatronics program with a placement rate of 400 percent.

These are the stories shared with House Higher Education committee members yesterday as students and faculty from both the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and the University of Minnesota shared their stories with policy makers in light of the budget cuts. Students told committee members that it is getting harder to obtain a degree with tuition going up. Monte Bute, a faculty member at Metropolitan State University said that another cut to the system will hinder young people from getting an education.